Some drivers in the country have recounted some painful experiences they encountered through police officers.
This follows what these drivers have described as victimisation on the part of police officers tasked to ensure compliance of road traffic regulations.
Many would agree that sometimes, these trotro drivers do everything other than the right thing on the road.
They jump red lights, switch lanes without indication, and even stop in the middle of the road to pick up passengers.
Over the years, ‘trotro’ drivers and their conductors have accused the police of extortion and abuse of power.
The police, on the other hand, have denied complicity, although it’s not far from the truth.
At the Odawna lorry station in Accra, many of the drivers could only speak of negative encounters with the police.
“We have a difficult relationship with the police. We need each other to survive but some of the police officers have taken the law into their own hands. They arrest us for no apparent reason,” a driver lamented.
Ghanaians were outraged after a video emerged of a trotro driver and his conductor beating up a uniformed police officer at Weija.
But interactions with drivers and conductors suggest that it is not out of the ordinary.
A trotro mate, Isaac Kobby who spoke to Citi News said he has also had a fight with a police officer in the past.
“I have been involved in a fight with a policeman before.
He first hit me and I struck him too and then he said I had disrespected him,” he said.
For now, the drivers and conductors are demanding that the police comport themselves in a better to earn their confidence.
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By: Nii Armah Ammah| citinewsroom.com| Ghana
